Tawhid, akin to an unparalleled gem in mystical practice, guides the wayfarer from the apparent multiplicity toward an inner unity. This sublime station, which manifests in the three degrees of Tawhid al-Aammah (active), Tawhid al-Khaassah (descriptive), and Tawhid Khaassah al-Khaassah (essential), serves as a ladder leading the wayfarer from rational deduction to direct perception, and from perception to the vision of the Divine Essence. This discourse, lectures of Nekoonam in his 652nd session, aims to provide a precise and profound explanation of these stages.
Classification of the Degrees of Tawhid In mystical practice, Tawhid is divided into three primary stages: Tawhid al-Aammah, Tawhid al-Khaassah, and Tawhid Khaassah al-Khaassah. Each of these stages serves as a waypoint in the wayfarer's journey, guiding them toward a higher level of knowledge and unity:
This classification reflects the wayfarer's developmental journey from rational deduction to inner witnessing, and ultimately to the direct experience of the Divine Essence. It is as if the wayfarer is transported from the shores of multiplicity to the ocean of unity.
The Difference Between the Degrees of Tawhid The distinction between the degrees of Tawhid lies in the level of perception and consideration. Tawhid al-Aammah is based on reasoning concerning the Divine actions, Tawhid al-Khaassah is the witnessing of the Divine attributes with a focus on unity, and Tawhid Khaassah al-Khaassah involves the vision of the Divine Essence without the consideration of attributes. This distinction is akin to the difference between the proof and the proven. In descriptive Tawhid, the attribute points to the essence, but in essential Tawhid, the essence is directly perceived. This differentiation highlights the varying degrees of understanding among the prophets, saints, and other beings in their experience of Tawhid. Each being, according to its level of manifestation and essential determination, has a specific form of Tawhid, glorification, and prostration, as if every reciter of the Divine Name and every prostrator is connected to the Divine in their own respective way.
The Nature of Tawhid al-Aammah Tawhid al-Aammah, also known as active Tawhid, is a rational stage in which the wayfarer arrives at the unity of Divine actions through the verses of the Qur'an, observed in both the outer world (the cosmos) and within the self. This Tawhid, like a window open to the general populace, does not require the deep practice of spiritual journeying or witnessing. The Qur'an mentions this process in the following verse:
This verse emphasizes the rationale behind deducing unity through the Divine signs. Each sign in the world serves as a reflection of the unity of the Divine actions. However, due to its reliance on reasoning, this stage does not transcend the witnessing of attributes or the essence. The Limitations of Tawhid al-Aammah Tawhid al-Aammah, due to its rational nature, is confined to the Divine actions and does not guide the wayfarer toward higher stages of spiritual understanding. This stage, akin to the first step in the journey of Tawhid, leads the wayfarer toward a superficial recognition of unity, but keeps them entrenched in the multiplicity of reasoning. It halts the wayfarer at the shore of knowledge, preventing them from advancing to deeper stages of spiritual insight.
The Specific Tawhid, also referred to as the Tawhid of Attributes, is a spiritual station wherein the seeker reaches the vision and direct observation of the Divine Attributes through mystical unveiling, insight, and actual witness. This level of Tawhid is affirmed through esoteric truths and necessitates the spiritual discipline, training, and guidance of a mentor. The Qur'an says:
This verse emphasizes the significance of striving and spiritual endeavour in guiding the seeker towards the vision of the Divine Attributes, as if the seeker is illuminated by the light of the Divine attributes through traversing the path of truth.
Key point: The Specific Tawhid is a spiritual station wherein the seeker reaches the vision of the Divine Attributes through mystical unveiling and observation. This station requires mentorship and is attained through striving in the way of truth.
The Specific Tawhid involves stages of spiritual progression that lead the seeker towards maturity in the vision of the Divine Attributes:
These stages, like steps in the spiritual ladder, elevate the seeker from rawness to maturity, as if their soul is polished in the crucible of trials.
The Specific Tawhid, being a spiritual journey, requires the guidance of a mentor. The mentor is akin to a guide who leads the seeker from intoxication to forgetfulness, from union to separation. This guidance frees the seeker from the fear of falling, enabling them to attain independence in the vision of the Divine Attributes. The mentor accompanies the seeker through the stages of unveiling, vision, and witnessing, as if assisting them on the winding path of spiritual progression.
Separation is the final stage of the Specific Tawhid, wherein the seeker is liberated from the fear of falling. In union, the seeker is connected to the Divine, yet still concerned with the possibility of separation, crying out: "O cupbearer, I am intoxicated, hold my hand!" However, in separation, the seeker attains independence in witnessing the Divine Attributes, no longer requiring guidance, as if a bird freed from the cage of fear, soaring in the sky of unity.
The Ultimate Tawhid, known as the Tawhid of the Essence, represents the highest level of Tawhid, where the seeker attains the vision of the Essence of the Divine in Unity, without considering the Attributes. This Tawhid, also called the Tawhid of Essence or the Tawhid of the Self-Subsisting, symbolizes the union of the seeker with the eternal and infinite Unity of the Divine. The expression "Tawhid of the truth in its essence, from the beginning and forever" indicates the seekers union with the primordial Unity of the Divine, which is beyond the need for any progression, as the Divine is the very essence of Unity and does not require a path to itself. This station, like a lofty peak, releases the seeker from all multiplicity and otherness, merging them with the Unity of the Divine, as though they have become co-inhabitants with the Divine and are moving in the eternal and infinite motion of the Divine.
Key point: The Ultimate Tawhid is the vision of the Essence of the Divine in Unity, without regard to the Attributes, leading the seeker to union with the primordial and eternal Unity of the Divine, as though they become co-inhabitants with the Divine.
The Ultimate Tawhid represents the union of the seeker with the Unity of the Divine, not the return of the Divine to itself, as the Divine is the very essence of Unity and is never distant from it. This union is akin to journeying alongside a train that moves eternally from the past to the future: "Every day He is in a new affair" (Surah Ar-Rahman, 29). Through this divine connection, the seeker aligns themselves with the Divine Unity. This union requires liberation from reasoning, attributes, and all forms of otherness. In this station, the seeker not only frees themselves from multiplicity but also from their own self, dissolving into the unity of the Divine.
Tawhid, particularly in the station of the Ultimate Tawhid, culminates in the concept of total unity, where otherness is negated, yet the unity in multiplicity remains. Unlike the Tawhid of distinction that denies multiplicity, this Tawhid embraces all manifestations in the vision of the Divine Unity. The Qur'an says:
This verse reflects the testimony of all existence to the Unity of the Divine, as though each entity, at its level, bears witness to the total unity of Tawhid.
The verse of testimony does not interpret Tawhid in terms of distinction but as total unity. In this verse, God, the angels, and the possessors of knowledge testify to the Unity of the Divine, yet this testimony is an objective and sensory reality that encompasses all of existence. Unlike traditional interpretations which limit the angels and possessors of knowledge to specific beings, this verse shows the comprehensive nature of Tawhid, as if every particle of existence participates in the vision of the Divine Unity. This total unity aligns with the principle "Nothing is cut off from it, nor does anyone reach it" Tawhid neither separates anything from itself nor does anyone reach its essence, for the Divine is the very essence of Unity.
The people of the Ultimate Tawhid, those in the third station of each spiritual level, are those who have reached the highest of each mystical station. These individuals have liberated themselves from reasoning and attributes, experiencing complete separation from multiplicity. In the final stations, such as knowledge, annihilation, persistence, realization, confusion, existence, distinction, and unity, they have reached the third station, where the total unity of Tawhid is actualized. This station is like a peak that only the perfect friends of God attain, as if they are hidden in the world of testimony, while in reality, they remain steadfast in their primordial truth.
The Ultimate Tawhid links the seeker to an eternal and infinite journey with the Divine, as if they accompany the verse "Every day He is in a new affair," participating in the divine movement. This journey continues not only in the world but also in the Hereafter, yet it is actualized in this world through prayer and fasting, and in the Hereafter through grace and divine inspiration. This companionship reflects the total unity of the seeker with the Divine, as if every moment they renew their covenant with the new affair of the Divine.
With the supervision of Sadiq Khadami
